My bhoys don't dive, insists Celtic boss Tony Mowbray

Celtic boss Tony Mowbray last night leapt to the defence of Shaun Maloney and Mark Wilson after they were booked for diving at Ibrox.

Defending his bhoys: Mowbray says his players don't dive

Both players were yellow carded for simulation by referee Craig Thomson, who awarded the visitors one penalty and denied them another two strong claims during Celtic's 2-1 defeat to Rangers.

In the eyes of the Parkhead support, the charge sheet against the official looked damning last night. Maloney, in particular, seemed harshly dealt with after being chopped down by David Weir with the score at 1-0 and was accused of simulating another tumble in the box following a challenge from his Scotland team-mate.

TV pictures later suggested Thomson got both calls wrong. Choosing his words carefully, Mowbray said: ‘I will watch them back but, if the referee thinks they are dives, so be it.’

On the Wilson incident, which saw the Celtic full-back go to ground following a challenge by Sasa Papac, Mowbray added: ‘Mark diving for a penalty? That just makes me laugh.

‘Mark is the most honest guy you could ever meet. He is the most gentleman-like player you could ever meet.

‘But it doesn’t matter. I will never question the officials’ integrity - they do their jobs to the best of their ability.

‘We accept the aftermath and will get on with it.’

Wilson’s booking was the least contentious of a number of incidents which will anger the Celtic support and trigger recriminations for days to come.

Taking a tumble: Mark Wilson goes to ground

Ultimately, however, Celtic’s wretched defending for Kenny Miller’s two goals inside the first 16 minutes contributed most to their downfall.

That angered Mowbray, although he insisted his team remain good enough to recapture the SPL title from their oldest rivals.

‘This game is all about results, so there is frustration,’ admitted the Celtic manager, after his team’s lead at the top of the table was cut to a single point.

‘Yet, in my eyes, there was enough evidence out on the field today to suggest we have enough quality to finish top of the pile.

‘I was asked on television about four penalty decisions. If you get four of those, it suggests a lot of the play was around their box.

‘But you won’t be interested in the overall balance of the game. We lost 2-1, so we take it on the chin and move on. ‘It’s evident we will be there or thereabouts at the end of the season. We will move on.’

Aiden McGeady scored Celtic’s goal from the spot after 25 minutes when referee Thomson adjudged Papac to have tripped debutant Zheng Zhi. But Mowbray’s side just couldn’t find an equaliser.